Arachne
"Fuck these!! FUCK EVERY ONE OF THESE!!" - Charity, to Alistair, regarding the Arachne. =Arachne= Arachne are the largest and heaviest of the Ariadne races, being somewhat larger than even the Great Naga. Native to the Vanryan Rift, a thermal crevice located in Augustgrad some distance from Mount Pyre, the Arachne only emerged en masse within the last 50 years, indicating that they were not, prior to this, seen often on the surface. Records seem to suggest that the Arachne evolved predominantly underground, and emerged only when an eruption from nearby Mount Pyre cracked open the geothermal crevice and exposed their home to the elements. Having developed in a volcanic region, they show their origins by being both phenomenally tough and extremely aggressive. The Arachne's sudden emergence caught the Augustgradian government by surprise; though multiple forays have been made by both the Beastmen, Naga, and Augustgradian government to wipe them out, they always seem to survive to begin sporadic raids at the edge of civilization. Beastman tribes occasionally refer to them as "Spider Devils." The Naga were known to call them "Death Spiders" and are believed to have fought with them in the past. According to Kalarisis, the Arachne were rarely seen, but much-feared by the Gargoyle race, believed to be some sort of horrifying abomination from the realms of the djinn, due to their resistance to fire and their preference for volcanic areas. Considering their general attitudes and appearance, there is a lot to support this viewpoint. An inordinately large number of them have wound up in the employ of Destiny's Call. 'Appearance' Arachne resemble humanoids from the waist-up; they have dusky skin tones usually ranging from a deep green to a purplish, though paler shades are not unheard of. Like all Ariadne, their lower bodies are those of gigantic spiders; the Arachne's lower body is enormous even by the standards of Ariadne, with your average Arachne capable of reaching 15 feet in length. Their spider part is covered with thick fur, like a wolf spider's, and often is dyed in different colors and patterns to identify individual clans. Their forearms are covered with similar fur. Chitin reinforces their flesh, and their legs and hands are tipped with rock-hard, sharpened claws that are extremely suitable for both climbing and burrowing. Like most Ariadne, they can produce webbing; unlike other subspecies however, they rarely spin webs or use their web for anything other than a defensive measure, taking after the hunting spiders their bodies seem to be based off of. The humanoid component is typically muscular and often quite attractive and shapely, but is marred by intense yellow eyes that have difficult-to-discern pupils, horn-like chitin growths, and chitin and fur growth across their torsos. Females are substantially larger and heavier than males, but are less agile; males rarely reach over 10 feet in length. The elder, alpha female of an Arachne nest can be as large as 25 feet long, though this immense size is relatively rare. A typical adult female Arachne can weigh over a thousand pounds. 'Noteworthy Attributes' Arachne are phenomenally tough, extremely resistant to heat, and have an exceptionally high pain tolerance. They are virtually impervious to low-level toxins, and possess the ability to regenerate any damage inflicted upon them, provided the wound is not fatal. Extremely solid musculature and thick chitinous plating renders them extremely difficult to actually harm, and paired with their natural durability, they are extremely difficult to kill. According to the Warmaster of the Beastman Gray Moon Clan, only a handful of veteran Beastman warriors ever managed to actually kill an Arachne in single combat. Arachne are accomplished burrowers; they can easily dig into sand, loose soil, or mud with staggering speed, a tactic normally used for when they need to either hide or recuperate from combat. It's also used as a method of ambushing foes. Arachne are fueled by a very fast metabolism that requires constant nutrition when they're active; Arachne hunting parties frequently eat some of their kill when it falls. To compensate, Arachne not in the field can enter a period of dormancy where their metabolisms slow down, allowing a nest to better-survive periods of comparatively poor hunting, but their regenerative capability does not function during this time, and their movement speed is considerably weaker. Arachne can produce webbing, though this is rarely actually used for spinning webs. Conventionally, Arachne tend to use their webs to bind prey, reinforce nests, or lay down a trap to slow pursuers. Only a few have learned how to use it in other fashions; this contrasts to the smaller Ariadne species - most notably the Algenie - which can easily weave nets or block hallways with their webbing. Arachne have difficulty with weapons, due to their clawed digits and sheer size. Outside of weapons specifically-made for them (either by Destiny's Call, or that were functioned by the Arachne themselves), they can typically only use weapons designed for someone of their size and mass. A great deal of Arachne prefer unarmed combat, since their sheer mass and natural weapons allow them to basically eschew conventional weapons when the situation calls for it. Clan-affiliated Arachne often favor large melee or ranged weapons; spears and javelins are especially-prized. DC-made weapons for Arachne often take advantage of this. The life of an Arachne is typically violent, brutish and, as a result, often quite short. Though they can live for hundreds of years, they rarely live longer than fifty due to a natural inclination towards combat and raiding. Veteran Arachne often show countless scars from their battles, wearing them with pride during violent social squabbles that determine placement in the clan. Relatively little is known about Arachne courtship or mating habits. It is known that Arachne fight amongst themselves - often quite fiercely - for their mates, and that their mating can often get exceedingly violent, considering Arachne attitudes and the fact that they regenerate. Very little information is currently available on them other than this, other than the fact that a surprisingly large number of Arachne hatchlings supposedly do not survive childhood. Weak hatchlings are seen as a liability and are summararily disposed of, and purportedly, eaten. Arachne mages are extremely rare, though they do exist. Like the Beastmen, they tend to practice a Shamanistic magic, with a focus more on divination and healing spells than anything else. Arachne spellcasters tend to have bizarre fur coloration; often white or red as opposed to the peppered grays and blacks of other Arachne. No cases of Arachne exhibiting psionic potential has yet been seen. Origin Arachne are unusual in that they're an Ariadne race that appears to pre-date the rise of the Grey Elves in Augustgrad; whilst most other Ariadne races wound up leaving to other regions, the Arachne are the only one that remained in Augustgrad, dwelling within the volcanic reaches of their homeland in the Vanryan Rift. There is some debate as to how they got there; according to Kalarisis, it was believed by Gargoyle loremasters that they nested in the bowels of Mount Pyre in the past and eventually found their way to the thermal crevice itself. More information has emerged courtesy of meetings with White Shroud, an Arachne Shaman. The Arachne have always lived in the region, having originally been a subterranean race that avoided contact with the surface until a tectonic cataclysm formed the Vanryan Rift and exposed them to the surface. They were immediately attacked by the local surface-dwelling races, and their warlike culture caused them to meet the aggression in kind. Numbers were never on their side, however, and within a few generations, only the Arachne Clans closest to the rift remained active, with others being killed or enslaved by either the Rakshasa or Gargoyles. This fostered an enormous resentment towards the surface-dwelling races - especially the Gargoyles and Rakshasa. 'Culture ' Arachne are very isolated beings. Many Arachne do not speak any of the common languages, instead using ancient Augustgradian dialects that have long since fallen out of favor. The more feral clans are extremely territorial and hostile towards other clans, and tend to center around a veteran warrior or shaman (typically an alpha female). Many Arachne attack outsiders on sight - even other Arachne. More civilized Arachne, trained in DC, are quite a bit more temperate, but their ferocious demeanor is well-known. Cannibalism - in this particular case, eating dead sapient foes (including other Arachne) - is a distressingly common Arachne practice; many Arachne believe that they become stronger by eating the flesh of the dead. Several specific Arachne clans have been known to engage in it extensively, including one of the largest clans. Arachne in DC service have stopped this practice, as they see it as barbaric, but the practice lives on in other areas. Arachne religion and magic centers around a form of animism, though it's a much darker sort than that practiced by the Beastmen or Gargoyles. The Arachne generally have a complicated (and often contradictory) belief system involving malevolent spirits and their influence upon the world itself - and that these spirits, hostile and greedy, can be brought to heel if somehow appeased. As such, Arachne shamans are known to conduct blood sacrifices, as this curries the favor of the malicious spirits and can ward off hostile ones that would otherwise curse them with misfortune. Arachne shamans tend towards having much more destructive and malignant magic at their disposal than Gargoyles or Beastmen, though they have decidedly-less spellcasters capable of healing than either. In the absence of Shamans - especially true in the case of the "civilized" Arachne in DC's employ - Arachne adapt to a somewhat less-superstitious, but no-less brutal doctrine; they tend to follow their strongest warriors for guidance. In the case of DC, where dozens of races at once may be in the field, the Arachne will look to whoever it views as a superior, either due to physical or magical might, or simple influence. In the absence of such an officer, an Arachne will gleefully place itself in charge, and is more likely than not to use its position to push its rivals around. Though not all clans are led by a shaman, they nonetheless hold an important part in Arachne society. Arachne tend to revere their Shamans as the wisest and most-powerful clan members; with their powerful magic, even the most vicious Arachne tends to show one deference. Arachne as a whole are superstitious; they see ill omens all around, and rely on their Shamans to interpret and control these. Arachne frown on cremation, and those that do not dissolve from their internal toxins (and are not eaten) are typically sectioned and buried in seperate locations to avoid them arising as undead. Arachne frequently practice ritual scarification and tattooing, as well as use dye to color their body fur. This is done both to show clan markings, to inscribe and mark themselves with what Arachne see as protective wards, and to draw favor from the spirits, as it is seen by the Arachne that their fallen ancestors look over them; by applying such markings, they can draw enough favor from them to curse their enemies - or at least, such is the belief. Of special note is the high importance of both Hunters and Warriors in their culture; begin their training stripped of their names, and are expected to fight and kill to earn one, and adorn themselves with featureless obsidian masks to conceal their identities; they are not allowed to remove them during battle until they earn the right. Only by slaying a particularly worthy enemy or securing an especially triumphant hunt will allow them to earn a name and remove their mask. Should one fail, they must train themselves from scratch and try again - such is the lot of their race.